Symvoulakis Emmanouel
October 20, 2025 2025-10-20 16:50Symvoulakis Emmanouel
Symvoulakis Emmanouel
Associate Professor of Primary Health Care
Medical School, University of Crete, P.C. 70013 Heraklion, Crete
Emmanouil K. Symvoulakis has served as Assistant Professor of Primary Care and Public Health at the Department of Social and Family Medicine, Medical School, University of Crete, since 2019. He became Head of the Clinic of Occupational Medicine in the University Hospital of Heraklion in 2021. He was tenured in a permanent position as Assistant Professor in 2022 and he was appointed, with assignment, Head of the Clinic of Social Preventive Medicine within the Department of Social Medicine. In 2023, he was elected Associate Professor of Primary Care and Public Health at the University of Crete, and in 2024, he assumed the role of Head of the Department of Social Medicine at the Medical School.
He received his medical degree from the Medical School of the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II in Italy. Between 2003 and 2007, he completed his doctoral thesis, entitled “Study of the Role of RAF and RAS Genes in Malignant Neoplasms of the Colon”, at the Medical School of the University of Crete, during which he undertook a six-month educational leave at the Department of General Practice and Primary Care, King’s College London.
His clinical experience began with a specialization in General Medicine at the University Hospital of Heraklion (PA.G.N.I.) from 2002 to 2006, including clinical practice at the Lambeth Walk Group Practice in London. From 2007 to 2009, he worked as Assistant Registrar in General Medicine at the Blood Donation Unit of PA.G.N.I., while also serving as a scientific associate at the Department of Social and Family Medicine, University of Crete. From 2011 to 2019, he ran a private general practice clinic in an urban setting. Between 2021 and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as Head of a Vaccination Line and Head of the Occupational Medicine Clinic at the University Hospital of Heraklion.
His scientific contributions include extensive participation in research programs at the Department of Clinical Social and Family Medicine, University of Crete. He also served as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, King’s College London, from 2010 to 2015. He has authored over 165 publications indexed in PubMed, 75 of which were published in the last five years, and serves as a reviewer for 15 international journals, including Healthcare, BMJ Open, and BJGP Open.
•MD, Faculty of Medicine, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy, 1999
•Doctoral thesis on: “Study of the role of RAF and RAS genes in malignant neoplasms of the colon,” Medical School of the University of Crete, 2003 – 2007,
•Six-month educational leave at the Department of General Practice and Primary Care, King’s College, London, 2005 – 2006.
•Honorary Research Fellow at the Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, King’s College London (2010-2015).
He has published and contributed to more than 165 publications in international, peer-reviewed scientific journals, which are actively listed in PubMed today.
His main research interests include:
•Investigating various areas of Primary Health Care Services,
•Investigating behavioral and social determinants in Primary Health Care through the development and evaluation of metric tools and scales,
•Investigating factors in the onset and management of chronic diseases,
•Patterns of healthcare utilization,
•Health Services Research,
•Issues related to organ and blood donation,
•Topics of bio-emotional interest.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=symvoulakis&sort=date
Selected Publications:
Spanakis M, Stamou M, Boultadaki S, Liantis E, Lionis C, Marinos G, Mariolis A, Matthaiou AM, Mihas C, Mouchtouri V, Nena E, Skliros EA, Smyrnakis E, Tatsioni A, Dellis G, Hadjichristodoulou C, Symvoulakis EK. Enhancing Competencies and Professional Upskilling of Mobile Healthcare Unit Personnel at the Hellenic National Public Health Organization. Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jul 15;13(14):1706. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13141706. PMID: 40724731; PMCID: PMC12296029.
Volkos P, Linardakis M, Symvoulakis EK. Relating Biopsychosocial Meanings to Semi-Quantitative CRP Readings Among Primary Healthcare Users: Trends from a Cross-Sectional Study Analysis. J Clin Med. 2025 Jun 14;14(12):4236. doi: 10.3390/jcm14124236. PMID: 40565981; PMCID: PMC12194338.
Mantadaki AE, Baliou S, Linardakis M, Vakonaki E, Tzatzarakis MN, Tsatsakis A, Symvoulakis EK. Quercetin Intake and Absolute Telomere Length in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Novel Findings from a Randomized Controlled Before-and-After Study. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2024 Aug 29;17(9):1136. doi: 10.3390/ph17091136. PMID: 39338301; PMCID: PMC11434860.
Lionis C, Papadakis S, Anastasaki M, Aligizakis E, Anastasiou F, Francque S, Gergianaki I, Mendive JM, Marketou M, Muris J, Manolakopoulos S, Papatheodoridis G, Samonakis D, Symvoulakis E, Tsiligianni I. Practice Recommendations for the Management of MASLD in Primary Care: Consensus Results. Diseases. 2024 Aug 10;12(8):180. doi: 10.3390/diseases12080180. PMID: 39195179; PMCID: PMC11353634.
Volkos P, Linardakis M, Stachteas P, Anastasiou F, Tatsioni A, Kampa M, Symvoulakis EK. Association between Levels of Loneliness, Laboratory Measurements, and Behavioral Aspects in a Primary Care Setting in Crete, Greece. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2024 Apr 18;14(4):1055-1067. doi: 10.3390/ejihpe14040069. PMID: 38667824; PMCID: PMC11049108.
Symvoulakis EK, Linardakis M, Kamekis A, Morgan M, Klinis S. The Personal Sociability and Connections Scale (PeSCS): Development and initial assessment at a primary care facility. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2022 May;68(3):639-648. doi: 10.1177/0020764021993510. Epub 2021 Feb 11. PMID: 33570018.
Vova-Chatzi C, Symvoulakis E, Parpoula C, Sbarouni V, Lionis C. Robustness of the EUROPEP questionnaire as regards data quality, reliability, and construct validity: The Greek experience before and after the economic crisis. Health Policy. 2020 Aug;124(8):856-864. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2020.05.021. Epub 2020 May 28. PMID: 32605837.
Anyfantakis D, Symvoulakis EK, Panagiotakos DB, Tsetis D, Castanas E, Shea S, Venihaki M, Lionis C. Impact of religiosity/spirituality on biological and preclinical markers related to cardiovascular disease. Results from the SPILI III study. Hormones (Athens). 2013 Jul-Sep;12(3):386-96. doi: 10.1007/BF03401304. PMID: 24121380.
Symvoulakis EK, Clark LV, Dowson AJ, Jones R, Ridsdale L. Headache: a ‘suitable case’ for behavioural treatment in primary care? Br J Gen Pract. 2007 Mar;57(536):231-7. PMID: 17359612; PMCID: PMC2042573.
•Member of the Administrative Board of the Forum for Public Health and Social Medicine https://phforum.gr/
•Deputy Member of the Administrative Board of the National Public Health Organization (EODY) https://eody.gov.gr/structure/dioikitiko-symvoylio-2/
•Member of the Expert Committee for the preparation of a recommendation-proposal to the Ministry of Health within the framework of the National Public Health Prevention Program “Spyros Doxiadis” on “population-based screening for the prevention of colorectal cancer.”
